Seton Hall may not be facing any powerhouses during their non-conference schedule, but they have the potential to play seven high-major schools, six of which would take place away from Walsh Gym and Prudential Center.

Unlike some of Kevin Willard’s earlier seasons in South Orange, events like the Gavitt Games, a trip to Hawaii for the Pearl Harbor Invitational and the Advocare Invitational all add opportunities to pick up crucial resume-building wins in November and December.

The schedule isn’t without its potential blemishes though, as Central Connecticut, Hawaii, Delaware, Rutgers and possibly Fairleigh Dickinson will likely be duds RPI-wise, most of which bookend the entire slate.

Tough stretch. A potential four-game gauntlet at Iowa, then Florida, Gonzaga and another high-major on a neutral court in Orlando would probably be the toughest non-league stretch that I’ve seen in a while, maybe since Louis Orr? This fairly high-profile schedule was really built for an encore return from Isaiah Whitehead.

While an appetizing schedule for someone like me or a fan that will primarily watch from home, this is pretty poor for season ticket holders. The five games against Fairleigh Dickinson, Central Connecticut, Columbia, Delaware and a weak Rutgers will surely be the weakest five on the entire schedule, so there’s that. Obviously the ability to see the defending national champions and a few other really good Big East schools will balance out the value, but the weak front-end is the obvious drawback of playing in three events this season.

The Under Armour-sponsored Monday night game against South Carolina at MSG will probably be inconvenient for most (why not Fri-Sun?), but it does add another twist in the schedule, giving the opportunity for a slightly different type of game day experience.

Seton Hall hasn’t had a non-conference strength rating in the KenPom top-200 since Kevin Willard’s inaugural year at the helm, which we know was mostly a Bobby Gonzalez organized schedule. There’s a very strong chance they match that this coming campaign.